Cranberry Walnut Spelt Sourdough Bread

Cranberry Walnut Spelt Sourdough Bread is at the top of this months must make list! While I would say a great addition to your Thanksgiving table many of us will not be having the usual Thanksgiving and I found this James Beard quote very fitting.

“Good bread is the most fundamentally satisfying of all foods; and good bread with fresh butter, the greatest of feasts.”
― James Beard

I couldn’t agree more because not much can beat fresh sourdough, but right now I would say a fresh slice of Cranberry Walnut Spelt Sourdough (or thick toasted slice) topped with honey butter is all I need right now.

I keep getting requests for more sourdough recipes. I’m always hesitant because there are variations depending on the environment where you live. I share them the best I can and I cannot tell you how many questions I get about my Apple Cinnamon Swirl Sourdough and how many people have taken the leap to try it and are happy they did. I have tried to update the recipe as I get feedback from those who have made it. The biggest question is how much water.

Spelt Sourdough has a different flavor but we have really fallen in love with it. The best part is there is less variation and it’s quicker. The only variation is time and I haven’t found it to vary more than a couple hours (with our hot humid summers and not freezing, but heated inside, winters).

The kids aren’t big on nuts so I used a little less in this loaf but you can add more if you love walnuts and texture.

You probably already have most of what you need to make spelt sourdough at home. Most items are relatively inexpensive and there is nothing on the list that isn’t a staple in my kitchen. If you don’t have a kitchen scale I highly recommend it for bread making and baking in general. Plus it has come in handy for other things like postage from time to time and even weighing Baby G when he was first born and we had to weigh him every other day and saved many trips up to the doctor. The first one I bought was really cheap but still did the job for years until it broke and the upgrade one I have now I love (has a pullout screen that makes it easy to read using large bowls and was less than $50). If you don’t have bread towels they’re handing, don’t shed, and if you decide bread making isn’t for you also work as regular dish towels. You can find singles from around $5-$7, I usually buy a set of 4 for around $20. A cast-iron Dutch oven is something I use all the time, especially during the winter for soups and stews. I love and use them so much I have a plain cast iron one, perfect for camping too and how I justified it but love it so much it’s at the top of the list for things to gift for weddings, as well as an enamel coated one. I use both all the time, especially when I’m baking 2 loaves of bread. Haha!

The complete list of what you’ll need:
• Kitchen scale
• Cast Iron Dutch Oven
• Parchment Paper
• Colander
• Sharp serrated knife
• Bread Towel, Floor Sack Towel
• Spelt Sourdough Starter
• Spelt Flour (I use Nature’s Legacy VitaSpelt Organic Spelt Flour that I purchase from Whole Foods. It use to be in a red bag but is now in a teal bag. I did try organic sprouted spelt flour a couple of times and didn’t have the best luck so I’ve stuck with the VitaSpelt since I can consistently get it.)
• Water
• Salt
• Honey (My favorite is local Bare Honey Minnesota Amber, a dark honey that isn’t overly sweet and has notes of molasses!)
• Dried Cranberries
• Raw Unsalted Walnuts

It will a little extra take time to make your starter if you don’t have one but well worth it as once you have your starter it’s easy to keep it going for years to come. I made a spelt starter, or converted our regular starter, using a small amount of our regular starter (a tablespoon) to build it up over a couple days. I store it (still haven’t come up with a name for our spelt starter) in the refrigerator and pull it out the morning the day before I plan to bake it. Somewhere around 9am I will feed my starter and than I will make the dough around 7pm that night to bake the next day between 11 and 1pm. You will find what works for you, we are usually around the 16 hour mark but might need to go a little longer as it’s been much colder.

Still haven’t tried making your own sourdough? If you have here are a few of our other recipes to try! Or maybe you like more of a rustic sourdough? Spelt Sourdough might be for you! From start to finish it takes about 16-18 hours (if you have active fed sourdough already), with minimal hands on. Maybe a little more hands on than our regular sourdough but less time from start to finish. If you store your starter in the fridge or haven’t fed your starter recently it will take about 24-26 hours.

Today is Monday, aka Meatless Monday (we’re debating on changing this up next year, let us know what you’d like to see in the comments). I hope you consider linking up Deborah and me below or sharing what you you’re making for Meatless Monday or just drop what’s happening in your kitchen below.

Print Recipe

Cranberry Walnut Spelt Sourdough Bread

Cranberry Walnut Spelt Sourdough Bread is simply delicious, especially this time of year! Perfect for your Thanksgiving table, or just an average day. I especially love it (usually toasted) topped with honey butter, it doesn't get much better than fresh homemade sourdough!

Course

Appetizers, Breakfast, Dinner, Smoothies

Prep Time

30 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Passive Time

16 hours

Servings

loaf

Ingredients

• 350 g water
• 3 TBSP honey (local Bare Honey Minnesota Amber)
• 1/4 c active bubbly spelt sourdough starter (I pull my starter from the refrigerator 6-8 hours before I make the dough and feed it)
• 530 g spelt flour, PLUS MORE for stretching and baking
• 1 1/2 tsp sea salt
• 80 g dried cranberries (about 1/2c)
• 35 g chopped walnuts (about 1/3c)

Course Appetizers, Breakfast, Dinner, Smoothies Prep Time 30 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Passive Time 16 hours Servings loaf Ingredients 350 g water 3 TBSP honey (local Bare Honey Minnesota Amber) 1/4 c active bubbly spelt sourdough starter (I pull my starter from the refrigerator 6-8 hours before I make the dough and feed it) 530 g spelt flour, PLUS MORE for stretching and baking 1 1/2 tsp sea salt 80 g dried cranberries (about 1/2c) 35 g chopped walnuts (about 1/3c)

Instructions

1. Make sure you have active fed spelt sourdough starter. If you haven't fed your starter feed it about 6-8 hours before you want to make your dough. See notes in my post to plan accordingly.
2. Measure out your water and add to a large glass or ceramic bowl.
3. Stir honey into water, if it hasn't dissolved or your honey has crystals warm the honey water slightly. You don't want it hotter than lukewarm, if it's too hot let cool before stirring in your starter.
4. Stir in your active spelt sourdough starter.
5. Add flour and salt and stir until just combine.
6. Fold in cranberries and walnuts.
7. Cover with plastic wrap and put in a warm place, usually up high in the kitchen, or just on your kitchen counter for 1 hour.
8. After an hour sprinkle a little spelt flour on top of the dough (2'ish tablespoons) and dust your hands. Grab the dough out of the bowl, scraping it off the sides with your hands, and stretch/pull, fold, and turn 90 degrees to stretch/pull again in the opposite direction. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover for 30 minutes before repeating the process. You will want to do this 3 times. (After 1 hour rest stretch, let rest 30 minutes, stretch, let rest 30 minutes, and stretch a final time before putting up for the evening or about 12-14 hours)
9. After letting rest for 12 hours the top of your dough should have a few larger bubbles forming. If not and you have time let rest a little more. If you don’t have time or see bubbles don't worry it should rise while baking.
10. Place your bread towel (not a kitchen towel but thinner tight woven fabric bread towel) on a cutting board (I like to use a cutting board as you will use it for transferring the dough twice before baking) or clean counter and rub with flour in the center. The whole towel doesn't need to be covered but a good rough circle that will go in your colander, or parts that will touch the dough. Generously add a little more flour as you don’t want your dough to stick. I would roughly say I add an extra 1/4-1/3 cup after rubbing some into the towel.
11. Place floured bread towel in the colander, flour side up.
12. Lightly sprinkle bread board or counter with a little more flour and turn your bread dough onto it. Grabbing the edges at roughly 12, 3, 6, and 9 o'clock pinch up to the center and place dough into your floured colander. Cover with bread dough with your plastic wrap and let sit for an hour (will sit for 1 1/2 hour total).
13. After an hour place your Dutch oven in the oven and pre-heat to 400F. Let your dough continue to rest for 30 minutes while your oven pre-heats.
14. Remove plastic wrap from the top of your dough, place a sheet of parchment paper (12x16) on the cutting board. Place the parchment paper and cutting board over the dough (make the bread towel is not tucked in between or in the way) and flip it over so the dough is on the parchment paper. Quickly and carefully slice a cut down the middle and a few on the sides of your bread, or a big X).
15. Carefully remove your Dutch oven from the preheated oven. Pick up the corners of the parchment paper and place your bread dough into the hot Dutch oven, replace the cover (parchment paper can stick out a little), and place it in the oven to bake for 35 minutes.
16. After 35 minutes remove the lid and bake an additional 10-12 minutes.
17. Remove from the oven and let cool on a wire rick.
18. Let cool, ideally for an hour and a half but at least an hour, before slicing.
19. Enjoy!

Recipe Notes

*If you like/want more walnuts add 1/2 a cup.

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